


Black Light

by IllegalCerebral



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 12, Alternative Season 12 Finale, And should be treated as such, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Fix-It of Sorts, Garcia gets some agency, Garcia is a goddamn genius, Hacking, Interrogation, Season/Series 12 Spoilers, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 20:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15469509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllegalCerebral/pseuds/IllegalCerebral
Summary: Garcia, not Reid, confronts Cat Adams in prison at the end of season 12. In no uncertain terms, Garcia lets her know what happens to people who hurt her family.





	Black Light

**Author's Note:**

> I will always be mad that Garcia didn't have a hand in ending the Dirty Dozen storyline. That was her moment to shine. 
> 
> This story was written for a writing challenge on tumblr hosted by @literallyprentissstwin. For more stories, headcanons and general chatting about the show check out her blog and mine @illegalcerebral.

“We have to deal with Cat Adams again?”

The noise of everyone debating what to do next faded into the background for Penelope as she looked at the face of the woman who had hurt one of the people she loved most in the world, who had orchestrated the kidnapping of a vulnerable woman and who, the year before, had made her own life a living nightmare. Penelope had been forced to cower and hide like a frightened animal while Cat and the Dirty Dozen circled her.

In the end she hadn’t been able to save herself. Reid had been the one to face down Cat and now because of that, because of her, Reid and his family were…

“I’m going”

The room fell silent and everyone stared at her in shock.

“No?” Emily sounded more confused than authoritative. 

“Yeah this is on me” said Penelope, cutting across the protests “The Dirty Dozen came after me in the first place and because Reid took her down in my place he’s the one she targeted.”

“She’s obsessed with him” said Tara “That’s not on you”

“He wouldn’t have been on her radar if Hotch had let me act as bait to draw her in” Penelope said. She was struggling to remain calm, her whole body was shaking either from fear or anger. Right now she wasn’t sure. Emily was staring at her like she couldn’t work out what to say.

“Call Reid” said Penelope “I’m going in. We don’t give the psycho what they want, that’s the rule right?”

“It is standard profiling practice” conceded Rossi.

“Plus Cat is likely to underestimate Garcia” said Stephen with a smile “Her arrogance would be her undoing”

“But Garcia isn’t trained” Emily protested weakly. Penelope shot her a look.

“Please I’ve been on this team longer than you, I know how you guys work and I have one weapon you don’t have” Penelope snapped.

“What?” asked Luke in confusion.

Penelope smiled. It was her first real smile since this whole thing began.

“I need to confess something”

* * *

“This is not what I asked for”

God Cat was really going for the half-feral look, Garcia thought as she stepped inside the interrogation room. It hadn’t taken much longer to win Emily round with her plan but Reid was another story. He insisted on at the very least accompanying Penelope and JJ. Luke had wanted to go with them too but Emily made him stay at Quantico, the rest of the team trying to to figure out Cat’s game plan.

‘We don’t always get what we want” said Penelope quietly. She took a tentative step forward, half expecting Cat to launch out of the chair and start clawing at her face. When Cat didn’t move, Penelope gingerly pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Before you waste both our time” Cat drawled “You should know that I’m not giving Mama Reid’s location up to anyone other than the good doctor”

“Dr Reid is indisposed” said Penelope “And I know you aren’t going to hurt Diana if he isn’t here to hear it which means that she’s safe for now and you and I have a chance to talk”

“Indisposed? Please” scoffed Cat. Penelope didn’t move an inch, her wide, glassy eyes staring into Cat’s. “He doesn’t have anyone else. Mommy is his whole world. The only thing he would risk his job and his life for. If he’s not here then…”

Again Penelope stayed completely still. Her eyes were watery but no tears were falling, she felt like every atom in her body was vibrating at the speed of light. She couldn’t breathe but she didn’t need to. Cat was staring, her eyes scanning Penelope up and down trying to work out the game plan. Nothing. Not even a flicker.

Behind the glass JJ and Reid waited.

“I should be in there” he mumbled. JJ squeezed his arm. Maybe he was right, maybe…

“Okay since the doctor isn’t interested in helping Mommy. You and I are going to play instead” smirked Cat.

“No”

“Listen Penny” Cat leaned forward “I always get what I want and what I want is Dr Reid in here. Since you people aren’t taking this seriously I’m going to kick off the game now. You can struggle through as long as you can keep up before calling Spencie in to pick up the slack. So here are the rules-”

“No”

“Penny” Cat drew her name slowly, a lazy smile playing on her lips “You really don’t get this do you?”

“This is for your benefit. Psychopaths get bored easily. I’m speeding things along.”

That knocked Cat off balance for the first time since Penelope entered the room and she struggled to hide her smile. 

“What’s she doing?” Reid turned to JJ. JJ shook her head, she knew that look. That look was Penelope Garcia refusing to play nice anymore.

“I have no idea but I think Garcia has a plan” JJ said, breathily.

“So we’re not playing a game” said Penelope “The game is rigged anyway”

“Spencer has a secret” Cat blurted out.

“If it’s the poisoning, we already know about that” said Penelope in as blasé a way as she could manage. The whole thing turned her stomach but she swallowed it down. That was a problem for later. “No I wanna talk about your secret and the extra curricular activities you’ve been up to in prison”

“I’ve been in solitary nearly everyday since your precious Spencer put me in here” snarled Cat “Doesn’t leave much time for hobbies or socialising”

“You made it work though didn’t you. You must have” Penelope paused, squashing down the urge to glance over at the one way glass where she knew JJ and Reid were watching. “How else could you have gotten pregnant?”

JJ and Reid looked at each other in shock. Cat too had gone white but she managed to recover after a brief moment.

“You’ve seen my medical file” Cat hissed “That’s private. You can’t have gotten access to that”

“You spent months hounding me because you know that isn’t a barrier to my particular set of skills” said Penelope “Does the baby daddy know?”

“Only if you tell him” said Cat “It’s Spencer”

“That’s not possible JJ” Reid grabbed her arm tightly, causing her to pull away instinctively.

“Spencer I know. Look Penelope-” JJ’s attention was ripped away from Reid’s tightening grip on her arm but Penelope’s ringing laughter.

“Spencer? You want me to believe you’re carrying Spencer Reid baby? Oh god that’s hilarious.”

“It’s true” smirked Cat “Lindsey dosed him in Mexico and you wanna know what I told her to do to get him to-”

“Nah let’s talk about Guard Wilkins” Penelope cut her off “I think talking about the guard you’re fucking is much more interesting than you trying to convince me of whatever crazy story you can come up with”

Cat sat in stunned silence. 

Behind the glass Reid finally let go of JJ’s arm and she sprinted off to call Emily. Leaning on the glass, Reid felt a glimmer of hope for the first time in months. 

“So you seduce the guard to keep him on side and a baby is a bonus pawn. I bet he works at the men’s prison too. Is he the guard behind Reid staying in gen pop? That makes sense” Penelope’s brain was moving a mile a minute as the pieces fell into place. JJ would see it too, she knew that. There was a chance they could win this…they could save Diana “Wilkins kept an eye on Reid. He made sure Reid was uncomfortable but not dead. You wanted Reid vulnerable. You nearly got him killed” Penelope’s voice began to break

“He. Lied. To. Me!” screeched Cat, the last remnants of the the cool facade finally falling away “He promised me a chance to make things right and he lied!”

“A chance to make things right?” Penelope gazed at the other woman in disbelief “You mean he took away your opportunity to kill your father”

“Same fucking thing” Cat screamed “I deserved justice. My mother deserved justice. You don’t know what that feels like”

JJ hurried back, phone in hand. 

“Emily and Luke have picked up Wilkins. He spilled everything and they’re en route to pick up your mother. Lindsey has no idea she’s walking into a trap.”

Reid nodded. Words wouldn’t come just yet. Not until he laid eyes on his mother in the flesh.

“Cat’s losing it” JJ nodded to the glass “Penelope looks ready to rip her a new one”

“I don’t know that feels like?” Penelope’s voice was oddly quiet “I don’t know what it feels like? Let me tell you something you crazy bitch, I know exactly what it feels like. Reid knows what it feels like. Every single member of our team  knows what it feels like and none of us turned into psychopaths”

Cat opened her mouth to speak but Penelope cut in again.

“You aren’t special because Mommy died and daddy was a bastard. You’re not brilliant because you got paid to fuck and kill your way through your daddy issues. You aren’t strong because you hurt people. You’re weak. You’re a scared little girl playing at monster and failing.”

Penelope stood up.

“It’s not just your medical file I got hold of. I know about the guard, about Lindsey’s visits and how she really won’t be happy when she finds out you got yourself knocked up because you’re obsessed with a man who loathes you. I know that your first month here you got beaten everyday by a skinhead gang and I know exactly what they did to you. I know you begged the nurses here to help you. I know that your bedroom eyes didn’t work and a complaint was made. I know that the guards took your crossword puzzles, then your games, then your books and that your food was stolen for a week straight by a different gang. I know that you are not the biggest dog in here and I’ve been in law enforcement long enough to know that, that basically makes you someone’s bitch. Reid coped with prison better than you did.”

Penelope took a deep breath and twisted the knife.

“Reid didn’t cry for his mother at all, not the way you did every night the first year you were here. Lost little girl, crying for mommy.”

Penelope headed to the door, pausing to look back at Cat.

“You’re the girl no one choses. The girl no one wants. Your mother couldn’t live for you, your father dumped you like trash. Reid doesn’t want you. Wilkins doesn’t want you and when Lindsey finds out what you did, she won’t want you either”

The silence stretched out before the two of them, Cat balling her hands into fists.

“You’ve crossed a line” she whispered “Using your hacking skills to watch me. That’s how you did it right? Breaking into the prison system? That’s how you knew all about me”

Penelope didn’t respond.

“Yeah you crossed a line” laughed Cat “And if the FBI doesn’t fire you then no one you work with will ever look at you the same way ever again”

“Maybe” shrugged Penelope “But the look on your face right now? Totally worth it.”

The door slammed behind her and she felt her knees go.

“I’ve got you” Spencer whispered, pulling Penelope towards him.

“Please tell me someone tracked Wilkins” she mumbled into Spencer’s chest “Even without my tech wizardry you still should be able to find him”

“Emily just texted. They have Diana” JJ choked out, the tears rolling down her cheeks “She’s gonna be fine. You saved her.”

“Cat’s right though” JJ’s tears provoked Penelope’s own. She began to sob, the words coming out in wet gasps “I crossed a line”

“So did I” whispered Spencer.

“We all would have done the same” said JJ “That doesn’t make you a bad person. Only psychos like Cat think that way. Spencer, you did what you had to, to survive and Garcia you-”

“Broke the law” said Penelope “I broke the law. I covered my tracks, no one will be able to prove it but I did. I gave Emily my resignation before we got Reid out. I’m done”

“No!” gasped Spencer “You can’t. Not after everything we’ve been through”

“It’s time” Penelope said “I can’t lose anymore of myself to this job. Not after nearly losing you Spence. Not after losing Derek and Hotch.”

She didn’t give either of them a chance to respond before leaving. The ride back to Quantico was silent, JJ held Spencer’s hand right until they stepped out of the elevator and he rushed towards Diana. Penelope hung back as the team trailed off, leaving her and Emily in the hallway. Everything looked the same but it wasn’t _home_ any more. 

“You’re not taking back that resignation letter are you?”  
  
Penelope pulled her friend close by way of an answer. Emily buried her head in Penelope’s hair.

“I’m so sorry” she sobbed.

“What for?”

“For forgetting you’re a genius. For not appreciating that or your kindness or your bravery. You’re the best of us Penelope.”

Penelope smiled and the two of them headed to Emily’s office, lured by the promise of Scotch.


End file.
